Redemption's Kiss

Redemption's Kiss
Ann Christopher

After Jillian Warner's much-publicized divorce from her ex-governor husband, Beau Taylor, all she wants is a quiet life—out of the political spotlight.And quiet it is: the heiress and single mom runs a quaint B and B in Atlanta. But Beau is back, vowing to win her heart. With desire reigniting, Jillian's more confused than ever. Her seductive ex betrayed her once. How can she ever trust him again? A near-fatal accident has changed Beau in ways he never imagined.Now his number-one priority is becoming the devoted husband and father he knows he always should have been. He's determined to atone for the sins of the past and build a new future with the woman he's never stopped loving. Beau wants Jillian—and this time he's doing it right.

She gasped, a whisper of hot air against his neck

And then she did it again, a curling of fingers in that one spot that wound him up tight.

His breath caught and held because he would do nothing—nothing, God, not even breathe, even if it led to his ultimate suffocation and death—to force her along at this moment.

But…where was this going?

Slowly she pulled back, her face wet with tears and her breasts heaving with uneven panting that sounded, to his confused ears at least, like passion rather than pain. Then she raised her lids to stare at him with wet eyes that glittered with every conceivable shade of brown, from amber to deepest mahogany. And then…

Was he imagining this? Was this a dream after all? A hallucination?

And then she leaned closer…tipped up her chin, just a little…and waited.

Disbelief pinned Beau right where he sat, dazed and frozen, and he could swear he felt his skin vibrate with leashed tension that strained away from his control.

She had to know that he would swallow her whole right now.

Was that what she wanted?

Could he get this lucky? Was this a test? Did anyone really expect him to let this opportunity pass him by when he’d prayed for it for years?

He wanted to do the right thing, but he’d be damned if he knew what that was. “Jillian?”

There. He’d been honorable and raised the question, dumbass that he was. This was her chance. If she wanted this train to stop so she could hop off and run away, now was the time. Run while you can, Jill.

Books by Ann Christopher

Kimani Romance

Just About Sex

Tender Secrets

Road to Seduction

Campaign for Seduction

Redemption’s Kiss

ANN CHRISTOPHER

is a full-time chauffeur for her two overscheduled children. She is also a wife, former lawyer, and decent cook. In between trips to various sporting practices and games, Target, and the grocery store, she likes to write the occasional romance novel featuring a devastatingly handsome alpha male. She lives in Cincinnati and spends her time with her family, which includes two spoiled rescue cats, Sadie and Savannah.

If you’d like to recommend a great book, share a recipe for homemade cake of any kind or suggest a tip for getting your children to do what you say the first time you say it, Ann would love to hear from you through her Web site, www.AnnChristopher.com.

Redemption’s Kiss

Ann Christopher

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

To Richard

A million thanks to writer pals Kristina Cook,

Lori Devoti, Laura Drewry, Caroline Linden,

Sally MacKenzie and Eve Silver for their invaluable

friendship and support, and especially to Naked Sally,

for helping me with a crucial plot point.

Dear Readers,

Disgraced former governor Beau Taylor has nothing to live for and no one to care if he dies. Once, long ago, he had everything in the palm of his hand: career, prestige and, best of all, the love of Jillian, the woman he’s always worshipped. But then things went horribly wrong, he made poor choices and he lost it all, including his zest for life.

These days, he drinks, parties and fills the excruciating hours with meaningless women. Every day he hates himself just a little bit more than yesterday. Every day he searches for a reason to exist and comes up empty.

And then, in a nightmarish flash, everything changes.

Suddenly, Beau has a second chance at life, one he’s determined not to waste. Now, nothing will stop him from healing his damaged soul and becoming a worthwhile human being. Nothing will stop him from becoming the world’s best father to his precious little girl. Nothing will stop him from becoming a deserving partner to Jillian, and reclaiming her love. Nothing.

I hope you enjoy reading Beau and Jillian’s story as much as I enjoyed putting them back together!

Happy reading,

Ann Christopher

P.S. Please look for my next Kimani Romance, which will be part of the Love in the Limelight series, in October!

Chapter 1

Beau Taylor wasn’t sober, but he wasn’t drunk, either.

Luckily, the Miami night was young enough for him to change that.

Drinking took the edge off. Drinking was good. Drinking was necessary.

How else could he survive in the toxic waste dump of his life without some sort of buffer between him and reality?

As the disgraced former governor of Virginia, Beau was only slightly higher on the social scale than, say, venereal warts, but after a couple of drinks—preferably scotch on the rocks—he could look on the bright side. People thought he was scum. That being the case, it was easy to fulfill their low expectations.

Perfect, eh?